We’ve all been told how important it is for us to take breaks during our busy workdays so we don’t get burned out – many will take this as an opportunity to whip out their phone, particularly during a bathroom break, but a neuroscientist has warned against doing so.
Dr Andrew Huberman, an associate professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine, has spoken about the need to give your brain time to decompress after bouts of intense focus in an episode of his podcast, The Huberman Lab.
Neuroscientist warns against using your phone during a bathroom break
In a clip taken from his podcast, which Huberman shared with his followers on TikTok, the neuroscientist begins by discussing ‘ultradian cycles’ and how humans are supposedly best suited to working in bouts of intense focus that last for 90 minutes or less.
Huberman explains that after these sessions – which may involve focused learning, mental work, or even physical exercise – you should “take at least 10 minutes, and ideally as long as 30 minutes, and go through what I call a deliberate defocus,” whether that’s by taking a break or moving onto a menial task that doesn’t require as much concentration.
While many of us will see these breaks from intense focus as an opportunity to pull out our phones and spend a few minutes scrolling through social media, Huberman strongly recommends against this.
“You’re doing yourself and everybody else a favor by staying off your phone in the restroom,” the neuroscientist begins. “Try and give yourself some time to deliberately decompress, to let your mental states idle, to not be focused on any one thing.”
“That period of idling is essential for your ability to focus, much in the same way that rest between sets of resistance training or rest between exercise is vital to being able to focus and perform during the actual sets,” he continues.
“Deliberate decompression is key and I know this is hard because we’re all being drawn in by the incredible, rich array of sensory information available on our phones and other devices but I can’t emphasize this enough,” Huberman adds. “Our ability to focus is not just related to what happens during the entry and movement through those focused bouts but after those focused bouts. We really need to deliberately decompress.”
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How to decompress
During the podcast clip, Huberman recommends several ways you can carry out decompressions throughout the day.
“Take that period after each 90-minute or less focused bout,” he urges. “Go do something for maybe five, 10, maybe even 30 minutes, that is functional for your day, not just walking around in circles or staring up at the sky – although if you can do that, do that.”
“Do things that are rather automatic or reflexive for you and try not to do any focused reading,” Huberman adds.
“Try not to bring your vision into a tight location such as your phone and try and deliberately decompress,” the neuroscientist concludes. “That will allow you to drop into the intense bouts of focus again, repeatedly and repeatedly throughout the day.”
